New Delhi: The Competition Commission today
imposed a fine of Rs 136 crore on search engine major Google
for unfair business practices in the Indian market for online
search.
Passing the order on complaints that were filed back in
2012, the regulator said the penalty is being imposed on
Google for "infringing anti-trust conduct".
Globally, this is one of the rare cases where Google has
been penalised for unfair business ways.
It was alleged that Google is indulging in abuse of
dominant position in the market for online search through
practices leading to search bias and search manipulation,
among others.
The penalty amount of Rs 135.86 crore translates to 5 per
cent of the company's average total revenue generated from
India operations from its different business segments for the
financial years 2013, 2014 and 2015, according to the CCI
order.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has
given thoughtful consideration on the submissions made by
Google on issue of penalty and found it appropriate to impose
a fine.
The ruling has come on complaints filed by Matrimony.com
and Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) -- back in 2012 --
against Google LLC, Google India Pvt Ltd and Google Ireland
Ltd.
PTI
